Newest members bring diverse expertise to support “Connected World” of IIoT and Industrie 4.0
The FDT Group, an independent, international, not-for-profit industry association supporting FDT® Technology, today announced that two major industrial automation companies, Beckhoff and Dräger, are its newest members. Introduced at HANNOVER MESSE 2017 in Hannover, Germany, they join other industry organizations in supporting the open FDT standard for enterprise-wide network and asset integration.
FDT Group Managing Director Glenn Schulz heralded the latest additions to his organization. “FDT Technology provides a truly open and standardized architecture to address the critical needs of the connected world of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrie 4.0. We welcome leading companies to assist us with important initiatives supporting worker mobility, on-the-wire security, and comprehensive device and network interoperability.”
Beckhoff implements open automation systems based on PC control technology. Its portfolio includes industrial PCs, I/O and fieldbus components, drive technology, and automation software. Products that can be used as separate components or integrated into a complete and seamless control system are available for all industries. Since the founding the company in 1980, continuous development of innovative products and solutions using PC-based control technology has been the basis for success.
The central divisions of Beckhoff, such as development, production, administration, distribution, marketing, support and service, are located at the Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG headquarters in Verl, Germany. Through worldwide cooperation with partners, Beckhoff is represented in more than 75 countries.
Benjamin Bruns, business management process industries at Beckhoff commented, “By joining FDT Group, we will integrate a standard process industries interface for field device configuration and data exchange into our well-proven open automation architecture. Our TwinCAT FDT Plug-in will enable customers to directly open Device Type Managers™ (DTMs™) within the engineering environment to perform easy field device parameterization. In addition, the Beckhoff CommDTM will allow customers to integrate Beckhoff PC-based control systems into existing process control systems. This will ensure a solid integration of state-of-the-art control systems including IoT and Industrie 4.0 features into a conventional DCS.”
Dräger has a global presence in the fields of medical and safety technology, providing integrated hazard management solutions to customers involved in oil & gas, chemicals, shipping, steel, mining, electronics and other industries. Its products are specifically designed to protect, support and save lives.
Dräger currently operates in more than 190 countries, with sales and service subsidiaries in over 50 countries. The company’s development and production facilities are based in Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, USA, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic and China.
According to Dr. Niels Syassen, director R&D, Dräger’s activities in FDT Technology are in the areas of gas detection with the goal of protecting human life and production facilities. “Becoming a member of FDT Group enables us to stay on top of the latest developments for gas sensor to cloud applications, giving our customers benefits in terms of cost and process optimization by open and standardized interfaces. We deliver safety-related products for gas, gas leakage and flame detection with state-of-the-art interfaces including HART, Profibus, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and Modbus.”
Dr. Syassen added, “In safety technology, IIoT and Industrie 4.0 play an increasingly important role. As a leader in safety technology, Dräger will meet those requirements in future transmitter generations.”
FDT Group has a strategic vision to help make the IIoT and Industrie 4.0 a reality via an ecosystem of automation industry stakeholders promoting interoperability, security and mobility through tomorrow’s new adaptive manufacturing assets. Membership in the organization offers unique advantages for end users, suppliers/developers, service providers, universities, and individuals. Members are involved with providing innovative FDT-enabled products, solutions and services, and have the opportunity to join working groups, technical project groups and marketing committees to help direct the technology.
About FDT Group AISBL
The FDT Group AISBL is an international non-profit corporation consisting of leading worldwide member companies active in industrial automation and manufacturing. The major purpose of the FDT Group is to provide an open standard for enterprise-wide network and asset integration, innovating the way automation architectures connect and communicate sensor to cloud for the process, hybrid and factory automation markets. FDT Technology benefits both manufacturers and end users, with advancements such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrie 4.0 delivered out-of-the-box – enabling modernized asset integration and access to performance data for visualizing crucial operational problems. Around the world, end users, manufacturers, universities, and research organizations are working together to develop the technology; provide development tools, support, and training; coordinate field trials and demonstrations; and enable product interoperability.
FDT® is a registered trademark, and Device Type Manager™ and DTM™ are trademarks of the FDT Group AISBL.
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